Our stories are often hard to understand until folks understand our true motivations, our true drivers and the stories behind why our mission or purpose truly matters to us. We’ve asked some inspiring folks from the community to talk to us about why they do what they do and have shared some of our favorite responses below.

Kerri Brown

In sewing & creating dog bandanas for a few years now, we wanted to find a way to give back to Animal Rescue Organizations. We started creating “Adopt Me” dog bandanas, and every time a customer purchases from us, we donate one of these bandanas to the animal rescue organization of their choice! The thought process behind this is that workers and volunteers can use these bandanas to create bright and cheery social media posts to draw the attention to the adoptable animal’s photos, in hopes that someone will foster, adopt, or share their post. Read more>>

Prince Kanta

My main goal is to inspire the people in my generation to be different and succeed. My passion for fashion has helped me grow into the man I am today. while supporting me in getting through difficult moments on my journey. My self-assurance has given me the strength to carry on with my modeling career. Read more>>

Michelle Sabado

My mission is to encourage others to live a sustainable lifestyle. My mission is to also teach others that our lives are not going to be sustainable in every aspect, but it is more about making progress than being perfect. Lastly, I aim to teach others that taking care of ourselves in terms of mental health and wellness is key to caring for others and the environment. Read more>>

Amira Hussein

Health is the most valuable asset one can have. It’s often not thought about until it’s lost.. Once gone, it’s the only thing one can think about, and hope to have back. There is no quality of life without it. I lived most of my life with multiple chronic health issues; some quite debilitating. I spent years trying to heal myself, and after much trial and error, was able to heal my most serious and limiting conditions. It became my mission to help others regain their health, by sharing my knowledge and educating and empowering others to take control of their health and gain back their quality of life. Read more>>

Lauren Lovell

Smiling Leaves are small hand held hole punch devices that create joyful little faces on found leaves. The mission is simple – leave something behind to delight others. As a child, I would pinch little smiling faces into found leaves, and leave them behind in hopes that another person passing by might enjoy them. I’d always wondered if anyone ever found my leaves. As an adult, I learned that a photographer in my neighborhood had been finding and photographing them. It occurred to me that there should be a simple garden tool that would let other people make Smiling Leaves too. I adapted a niche kitchen device to the task, and Smiling Leaves was born! Read more>>

Liv Walsh

Having a platform on social media has been one of the greatest blessings in my life. My mission is to encourage people to be their best selves and to push and motivate themselves to reach new heights. I love being able to talk to someone I may have never met before over direct message and give them the best advice I can give, I love that people are comfortable enough with me to share such intimate details about their lives. I think being vulnerable about my life on social media and sharing my feelings has created a strong sense of trust with my audience. Read more>>

Cameo Konfrst

At Sage Planta, our mission to provide high-quality plant care products made with organic ingredients, which is deeply rooted in our passion for plants and our commitment to a sustainable future. Our story begins with a simple but powerful belief that plants play a vital role in our lives and in the health of our planet. We understand that the well-being of plants goes hand in hand with our own well-being, and that’s why our mission is so meaningful to us. Read more>>

Molly Webb

This question resonated with me because of how my husband, Travis, and I got into our new software business. Prior to starting our SaaS business, Yo-Do, Inc., we built and ran (for almost 2 decades) an Orange County-based music school, The Inside Voice. As with any business, The Inside Voice had its ups and downs, particularly during Covid, but one of the recurring issues we faced was that we couldn’t seem to grow it past about 250 students. Once we hit that number, we’d reach a number of challenges and bottlenecks that would slow down our team, decrease the time we could spend doing what we cared about–that is, forming great relationships with the families we taught and served–and invariably lost some of our current students and leads. Read more>>

Logan Hailey

Howdy! I’m Logan Hailey. I am a vivacious writer, van life nomad, and entrepreneur. My brand and blog, Naturally Logan, is all about helping people live joyful, healthier lives aligned with nature. Everything I do is rooted in the concept of VIVACIOUS living. To be vivacious is to be full of life! To wake up and feel energized, excited, and truly GOOD in your body. Read more>>

Lemon Price

I truly have a heart to serve others and share their stories. When I was 24, I joined a very restrictive church. I didn’t know it at the time. I was promised happy families and sunshine all the time. I was beyond naive about what I was walking into. I was told over and over again that my only real value existed in my womb and my job was to serve my family and support my husband. I was told during my divorce that it must have been because I did something wrong because my husband was an “upstanding” church member. They knew about the abuse behind closed doors but none of that mattered. Read more>>

Audris Campbell

Our mission at The Research Gurus is deeply personal and rooted in a passion for making the world a better place. We understand the transformative power of research and data. It’s not just about numbers and analysis; it’s about the positive change that comes from insights. We’ve seen the profound impact that informed decision-making can have on nonprofits, foundations, social enterprises, and government agencies. Every project we undertake, every client we empower, reaffirms our commitment to this mission. We’re honored to be part of their journey towards positive change. Read more>>

Nargiz Kattner

After hard childhood for myself and for others have decided to do something what I like. I had before either chance or choice to do what I love. Now as a mother of two children I do and give my best to be best example of me. So my mission is to empower other women and girls to do what they like. Back home in Kyrgyzstan most of girls have less voice than in Europe. I couldn’t understand why the youngsters doesn’t use this chance to do what they like in Europe. Anyway my mission heal from my trauma and be best of me for myself, children and for others. I know if you do what you don’t like it then it will make you in years sick, because you are constantly physical and mental exhausted. Read more>>

Ashley Cavalier

At a few months old, I was diagnosed with a rare bone disease, Olliers Disease, (later diagnosed as Maffucci Syndrome) where multiple benign tumors form near the growth plates causing deformities of the bone. I underwent multiple surgeries as I continued to grow to correct the deformities and new developments that presented. As I matured into a young woman, my physical differences became more apparent and my insecurities grew even bigger. There was no one that I could relate to in my every day life and there was a lack of disability representation in society. I often felt isolated and it was a silent struggle of mine for many years. I decided as an adult that I wanted to share my journey through a children’s book, for the little girl in me that never felt she would fit society’s standards of beauty. I decided that I wanted to share a story so that children with differences and disabilities everywhere would have someone they could relate to. Read more>>

Chad Shearer

The first thing you see when you visit our site is our motto and mission of sorts- We Rise By Lifting Others. As a publicity house, our job is to assist businesses by showcasing their offerings, expertise, and successes while staying in the shadows. The greater we do our job, the greater it is reflected in the exposure created for our clients. This mission of lifting others has a residual effect on our business as other businesses strive to gain that same level of exposure for their projects. Read more>>

Brenda Trujillo

After an 18 year career at UCLA, my health had begun to suffer. I took time off to prioritize my wellbeing, and with determination, was able to restore my energy, health and fitness. But my transformation was only possible with the help of the community & family, and that became my inspiration for ActivePear. I wanted to help others with my fitness knowledge and also have more fun with athletic wear, providing my customers a product that would compliment all their beautiful curves. Read more>>

Danielle Velasquez

Every step that I take in business is meticulously curated with depth and purpose. My “why” as a business owner, whether it be in a partnership, creation of a business idea, consulting, etc. is done in alignment with my core values. Deeelicious Scents (IG @deeeliciousbrands) was cultivated out of love and during one of the hardest periods of my life. My Mother lost her battle with Kidney disease right before the pandemic and I took that time to channel grief into creativity. Every candle that I create is made with her legacy in mind. She was a vibrant creative and was a candlemaker herself, among other talents. She spurred the business idea in me. It is my goal to align with the National Kidney Foundation to donate towards their mission of providing resources, support, and research to parties affected by kidney disease. Read more>>

Ty McBride

Preservan’s mission is clear: save the future by preserving the past. Americans spend a staggering $9 billion annually on replacing windows, doors, and siding, a significant portion of this expenditure is attributed to wood rot and termite damage. This issue is not unique to a single neighborhood or city; it plagues communities across the United States. According to the American Wood Protection Association (AWPA), almost 50 percent of the U.S. faces high to severe wood deterioration. Because this is a nationwide issue, Preservan is franchising their business model to provide their services across the U.S. Read more>>

William Thomas

Our mission holds a strong purpose for anyone involved. Not only are we giving back but we are helping a lot of people discover who they truly are. We’ve gotten testimonials about that from so many artist and that’s including me. When it comes to the reason why we do what we do, so many lose sight of that or have the wrong idea on exactly what that is. Here at 450 we are just a mirror to where you might be in life and point you in the right direction to where you want to go with it. We teach intention through the frequencies we create everyday. Read more>>

Brandon Lucas

In August of 2020, I had one of the most traumatic events in my life happened. It was an event that I never saw in my destiny. My sister was murdered, leaving my family and I with a care of her children. This was during the middle of the pandemic, and I was forced to reevaluate my life, and what matters most. Read more>>

Ray Lopez

I’m super excited to have the opportunity to tell my story! Thank you for allowing me to! It’s taken years of events to understand what my mission is and why I want to accomplish every word of it as an event professional, as a DJ and MC. Prime Sound Entertainment (PSE) is dedicated to transforming ordinary gatherings into extraordinary experiences, packing dance floors with great mixes that resonate with the heart and soul of every guest. PSE always strives to provide our clients stress-free planning from start to finish. Read more>>

Nancy Mulemwa Siisii

Integrating Service for Immigrants I decided to provide integrating services to fellow immigrants because no one understands our stories than US. 20 years ago when I arrived in New York. The truth is, many of us arrive to a new destination feeling inspired to write our new chapter. As reality sets in we are challenged to navigate a new set of culture norms. Knowing it can be confusing, lonely and sometimes scary, our vision and focus is to help others integrate here in New York City. Our goal is to be along side individuals as the embark on their new journey. The Concrete Pastures team provides targeted wrap-around services based on the needs of each client, to fully support them successful integration. Read more>>

Steve Gallegos

My mission is to guide business professionals toward profound personal and professional fulfillment. I aim to achieve this by focusing on three pivotal areas: Self-awareness: This implies understanding oneself deeply, and knowing one’s strengths, weaknesses, desires, and fears. By developing self-awareness, individuals can make informed decisions, stay true to their values, and navigate life’s challenges with confidence. Read more>>

Aundrya Richardson

The name of my business is Impact Writing LLC. It’s a writing services business where I help men and women around the world grow as writers through my editing services, ghostwriting, etc. I’ve been a self-published author for almost seven years and much of what I learned on the journey, I learned by trial and error because no one was willing to guide me. The mission behind my business is to encourage, strengthen and equip those who desire to write a book or just grow as a writer overall but don’t know where to begin. I’m the means of support to others that no one was to me. It’s my way of giving back. Read more>>

Raiza Noelia

My mission has always been to spread love and light. It’s been to help the broken hearted, those that feel unheard and/or unseen. It’s been to amplify peoples voices and visions for a better tomorrow for generations to come. At a very early age, I had an awareness that people, animals, and the world itself was hurting. Witnessing a lot of suffering, death, injustice, racism, and tragedy, imbedded in my heart this desire to want to use my voice to bring about change. I was inspired listening and witnessing actions taken by activist who were continuously fighting for a better world. It taught me that our voices have power and inspired my mission to be an activist of love in order to evoke positive change within peoples hearts. Read more>>

Lindsey Champagne

Everyone needs a smile to brighten their day, and if we can provide even just one smile to a person who really needs it- then that’s what our mission is. Read more>>

Raquel Zuniga

It’s hard to categorize being a florist as a mission-driven company especially when others don’t see it that way or might see it as just simply making floral arrangements. But the reason why caricia is so incredibly meaningful to me is because of the purpose and passion it has given and how I’ve seen firsthand the true value flowers bring into our everyday lives. Not only do they play a large role in the well-being of our ecosystem but they give us the privilege of utilizing them for what I consider floral arrangements to be genuine art pieces, flowers to me are a true gift from nature which is something I’ve learned throughout this whole process and ultimately it’s what I hope others can learn through us as well. Read more>>

Keandra Troupe

Esther, a women whose story is laid out in the book of Esther in the Bible, was a woman who ended up in a significant place in the palace as queen. This placement then put her in a position to make a bold decision, and with the help of God, this decision would save and affect the trajectory of an entire people. Esther’s story resonates so deeply with me because it is a reminder that the call of God in my life is unique, purposeful, and intentional. It is a reminder that our lives are divinely orchestrated and filled with purpose for the time and place that we are living in. It is a reminder that my past doesn’t get to determine the narrative of my future because my journey in life is being divinely orchestrated by a God bigger than anything I could ever experience. Read more>>

Eric Lee

My mission for my business right now is just ensuring my family is secured during these hard times. My family used to run restaurants and we have also moved around a lot too. Seeing my parents get older and expenses for restaurants get higher. The small amount of profit vs the high expenses was just not worth it anymore. Our restaurant was also in a very bad area and it was hard for me to hear my mom telling me about a customer coming in verbally abusing her with racist comments. On top of the fact were a part of string of robberies where these robbers attacked and robbed 13 asian restaurants. Read more>>

Lindsey Jensen

Our mission is to help people feel their very best! So many people of all ages suffer from depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses, if we can be that person to help them feel better, even for just a day then I feel our mission is complete. Read more>>

Jared Miller and Stephanie Lamar

Eliminating the transportation barrier within the world of human trafficking has had and will continue to have profound impacts on the way counter human trafficking is accomplished globally. Freedom Aviation Network, we believe that every individual, victim and survivor of human trafficking deserve unbridled access to a new life where they are able to thrive. Offering survivors of human trafficking transportation through private aviation shows them how infinitely valued and important they are. Read more>>

Rian Lozano

My mission is to capture my point of view and display my vision too the world. I want my photos to tell stories and make others feel the way I do when I see something that catches my attention. I also want to show everyone that even kids like me can see the world in a special way through photography. I hope my pictures inspire other kids to pick up a camera and start expressing themselves through this art too. Read more>>